December 23

Kyungsoo awoke to bright white light shining through the window of the dormitories. He sat up, rubbing his eyes before standing up and padding to the window, putting on his thick-framed glasses as he went. To his dismay, he was greeted with the sight of the Hogwarts grounds covered in thick, almost blindingly-white snow. He let out a groan. Snow, his mortal enemy. It was cold and wet and it always soaked through his shoes and socks and made his feet numb. He made a mental note to make sure he had perfected his Impervious charm before he got pneumonia.

He heard stirring behind him, and turned to see Jongdae dragging himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes and looking thoroughly miserable. “What time is it?” he mumbled, his voice gravelly from sleep.

“Seven-thirty,” Kyungsoo answered, picking up his neatly-folded uniform and the towel hanging by his bed.

Jongdae sighed. “I don’t know how you’re always so… alive this early.”

Kyungsoo’s response was a shrug.

“I mean, it’s like you wake up in the morning and you’re like ‘Well, I’m awake, it’s time to be productive.’ How do you do it?”

Kyungsoo shrugged again. “I dunno. I guess that’s just the way I am.” They had this conversation at least every other day. Jongdae was definitely not an early riser. He headed towards the shower room, but was interrupted before he reached his destination.

“Hey, Kyungsoo, wait.”

He turned around at the sound of Jongdae’s pitiful-sounding plea. “Yeah?”

“Have you seen my tie anywhere?”

Kyungsoo grinned, heaving a facetious sigh as he grabbed the piece of blue fabric that had somehow found its way beneath another student’s currently unoccupied bed and threw it in the direction of the other boy.

“Thanks.”

***

“Baek! Baek, wake up! Wake up!”

Baekhyun’s deep slumber was interrupted by an unidentified force shaking him to and fro from outside his cocoon of bedclothes, accompanied by a deep, frenzied voice. He poked the top of his head out from under the covers, just enough to see his best friend and pest Park Chanyeol towering over him, all six feet of gangly limbs and a worryingly obnoxious grin.

“What is it?”

“Snow!”

Baekhyun froze for a split-second before he practically rocketed out of bed, catapulting himself past Chanyeol to the nearest window. His eyes widened at the sight and soon his grin rivalled Chanyeol’s. “About time! You know what this means, right?”

“Of course I know what it means, idiot!”

“I swear, if we get even one person trying to stab us in the back this time…” Baekhyun sighed.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been up to Kris all year in Defence Against the Dark Arts to try and get him and his scary friends on our side. You know how nobody wants to mess with them.”

The shower room door closed behind them and a student emerged, his hair damp and dishevelled and an untied red and gold tie draped around his upturned shirt collar. “And of course you did this just for the Annual Unofficial Unendorsed Unsupported-By-Hogwarts Student-Organised Snowball Fight. With no agenda at all, whatsoever.” Their dorm-mate said with a smirk on his face and one eyebrow raised mockingly.

Chanyeol tilted his head to the side, a confused look on his face. “Wh- Oh. off, Minseok.”

Baekhyun laughed as a pillow sailed through the air in the boy’s general direction. There was some element of truth to what he had said – Chanyeol had been suspiciously eager to volunteer to recruit the intimidatingly handsome Slytherin boy when the topic of tactics inevitably cropped up at the start of the year. To his credit, he had managed to splutter out a vague tactical explanation in the midst of mocking laughter, but he was unsubtle at the best of times – and at the worst, totally transparent. Strangely enough, Baekhyun had felt a little extra animosity for Kris after that particular conversation, but he tucked that resentment away in a dusty corner of his mind, only for it to surface, unwanted, when he couldn’t sleep at night, forcing him to mull over what the hell was going on in his head to make him so defensive of his idiot of a best friend. Once again, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was strategizing to do.

“Hurry up and take a shower, Yeol, you big idiot. And don’t take up all the hot water this time.” Baekhyun grinned and lightly shoved him towards the bathroom, throwing his towels after him.

“Alright, alright! I’m going!” Chanyeol clumsily caught the towels and disappeared through the heavy wooden door.

Minseok spoke up. “I’m going to get some breakfast and practice before you idiots take over the school with your stupid war thing,” He wrapped his scarf around his neck and half his face and jammed a woollen hat over his head before grabbing his broomstick.

“You say it’s stupid, but you always come round in the end.” Baekhyun smirked. “Remember last year? You’ll be disappointed to know we’ve banned using rocks inside snowballs this year. Maybe you should attempt some spells instead,”

Minseok shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t help it. It’s the Muggle in me,” was his unsatisfactory explanation, before he disappeared out of the room and towards the Great Hall.

***

Jongin wandered sleepily into the Great Hall, blinking at the brightness of the magic ceiling. He shuffled towards the Hufflepuff table, where his three dorm-mates were sitting. They had all decided together to stay at Hogwarts for their final Christmas. Nobody’s parents protested too much; even Jongin’s parents didn’t take much convincing – after all, they were old enough now to make their own decisions.

He was greeted first by Luhan, who looked up at him and smiled kindly. “Finally up, huh?”

Jongin groaned. “Finally? It’s 08:00. I’m ready to face death.”

Junmyeon snorted into his pumpkin juice. “I’m glad, because remember Baekhyun and Chanyeol are doing that snowball fight thing again and we’ve just been drafted into their team.”

Jongin was glad he was already sitting down. “What? Why us, all of a sudden?” While they weren’t on bad terms with the Gryffindor pranksters, they had never progressed past the stage of short greetings in corridors between classes, and the occasional group project.

Yixing chimed in. “Rumour has it that after last year’s betrayal fiasco they’ve been hunting down all the Hufflepuffs they possibly can. Loyalty, and all that.”

“That’s a solid plan, I guess.” Jongin mumbled noncommittally, picking up the buttered toast that had solidified in front of him.

“So. Are you in?” Junmyeon asked.

“Sure, why not? It doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice. Plus it’s supposed to be fun. That’s what I’ve always heard anyway. Seems a shame to miss it when I actually have the opportunity.”

Jongin’s parents had always made him come home for Christmas. He appreciated it in some ways – being Muggleborn, the holidays had always been a time for catching up. Owl post was, as his mother put it, “inconvenient and messy”, so any chance at face-to-face communication was eagerly jumped at.

“It’ll be an advantage to have you on our side this year. I reckon you’ll be pretty good, being a Chaser and all.” Luhan commented.

There were nods of agreement all round, and Jongin began to gradually wake up as he joined in with the excited chatter of his friends.

***

“Alright, guys, listen up. So it snowed, and-”

“Thanks for the observation, Kris. We never would have guessed.”

Sehun’s sarcasm was met with a swift bop on the head with a rolled up Quibbler snatched from the empty space on the table in front of Tao. The trio were sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, having just finished eating breakfast.

“Hey! You better not have ruined that. I wasn’t done yet.”

Kris sighed. “Don’t worry, Tao, it’s probably more useful this way.”

Tao rested his head on his hand with a huff. “.”

Kris continued with a brisk smile. “Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, it snowed,” – he paused to glare in warning at Sehun – “and this means that the Annual Unofficial Bull Snowball Fight thing is happening.”

“Whose side are we on this time?” Tao asked.

“So far, it’s Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Minseok, Junmyeon, Luhan, Jongin and Yixing.”

Tao nodded, satisfied. “Could be worse.”

“He also told me he’s pretty sure Jongdae is in as well. And that means Kyungsoo’s most likely in our team as well.”

Sehun frowned. “So we’re going to have to carry that nerd?”

“I’m pretty sure Jongdae will keep an eye on him. But there are advantages to having a top student in our team – a top strategy.”

Tao smirked. “Nice.”

“Anyway, Kyungsoo’s not so bad. He can get pretty out of control when he gets angry. He punched Chanyeol in the face that one time, remember?”

They all laughed at the thought. Tiny little Kyungsoo had broken Chanyeol’s nose last year, after one teasing jab too many. It had worked out for the better in the end, though – Chanyeol had toned down his insufferableness considerably after that blow to his ego, and Kyungsoo had gained quite a bit of self-confidence - and also a bit of fear from the rest of the students.

“Alright then. All things considered, that’s a pretty solid team. I say we should stick with them.” Tao suggested.

“Sounds good to me. I mean, it is the season of goodwill. It’s our last year – let’s leave betrayal to the kids.” Sehun chipped in.

Kris grinned. “I’m glad we’re in agreement. So, let’s get everyone together and get planning.”

***

“You did what?”

“Come on, Kyungsoo, it’s our last year!”

“I can’t believe you’ve gotten me into this.”

“Oh, don’t be so boring. What were you going to do today, study? You need to let your hair down for once.”

“But the snowball fight? And in Chanyeol’s team, too? Jongdae, I swear to God…”

“You can’t possibly still hold a grudge against Chanyeol. You punched him in the face! Plus he apologised – actually genuinely, for once. Kyungsoo, come on, just admit you’re a stick in the mud.”

“I am not!”

Jongdae knew Kyungsoo hated childish back-and-forth. Of course, he used this to his full advantage.

“Yeah you are!”

“I am not!”

“Don’t even try to convince me otherwise.”

“Is that a challenge, Kim Jongdae? Is that a ing challenge?”

Now he’d done it.

Kyungsoo had raised himself up to his unimpressive full height, and was glaring up at Jongdae with unrivalled ferocity, his fork trembling in his clenched hand.

“I will be the greatest ing snowball fight participant that’s ever walked this earth. And then you will be forced to admit that you’re wrong, and you’re a piece of .”

Jongdae grinned lazily. “Alright.”

Kyungsoo sat down again heavily. “Alright.”

Just then, Jongdae noticed a small scuffle happening at the Gryffindor table. “Hello?” Chanyeol stood up, his voice booming across the hall. “Fuc- I mean – yeah, sorry. I must be better at that charm than I thought.” Minseok, who had tried to stop Chanyeol from making a scene, sat with his head in his hands, looking like he would rather be anywhere else. Baekhyun just grinned up at Chanyeol, perfectly happy to bask in second-hand embarrassment.

Jongdae chuckled, and saw Kyungsoo roll his eyes.

“Anyway,” Chanyeol clapped his hands together. “Since it snowed, that means tomorrow we will host the Annual Unofficial Unendorsed Unsupported-By-Hogwarts Student-Organised Snowball Fight! Please, hold your applause.” He grinned widely. Kyungsoo sat straight-faced.

“Lighten up, Kyungsoo, it’s Christmas,” Jongdae whispered, nudging his friend in the side.

“Jongdae, I swear…”

“So, if you want to join the snowball fight, and you’re on our side, which of course is the best side, meet in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom at half past one. If you don’t want to be on our side, I guess you’ll figure something out. I don’t concern myself with the lowly affairs of the enemy.” A small laugh rippled across the hall. Even Kyungsoo cracked a smile.

“Alright then! See you at half one. And if I don’t… see you in hell.” With that overdramatic statement, Chanyeol tapped his wand against his throat and returned to his un-amplified volume before heading towards the doors, with Baekhyun just about matching his stride. Minseok remained behind, turning to a small gaggle of students on the Quidditch team who had approached him.

“Well. That was… dramatic.” Kyungsoo remarked.

“That’s Chanyeol.”

***

11:30. The group of Seventh Year students were gathered in the DDA classroom, working on a plan.

“Do we really have to have a strategy though? It’s a snowball fight. You don’t even win anything.”

“Of course you have to have a strategy, Yixing!” Kyungsoo said incredulously. “How do you expect anything to get done if we don’t have a plan of attack?”

Chanyeol was impressed. For someone who was reluctant to be a part of this in the first place, Kyungsoo was getting very involved. “Kyungsoo’s right. This is more than just a snowball fight – this is our last. Now, we’re up against some seriously tough competition. Jiyong will have legions of younger students at his beck and call. So what we lack in numbers, we have to make up for in strategy.”

His eyes swept the room. He tried not to look at Kris for too long – didn’t want to lose his nerve. Instead, he focused on Kyungsoo.

“So, Kyungsoo, have you got anything for us? Any genius plans?”

Kyungsoo smiled slightly. “I might have something that’ll work. We’re starting on the South side of the grounds, right? And Jiyong’s side are on the North?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“So they have the advantage – we’ll be attacking up a slight hill. That means we’ll be on the defence, at least at first. Jiyong has strength in numbers, so they’ll most likely start with a charge of a group of people they can afford to get rid of, as well as some tanks. So what we need to do is build walls, make cannons - I’m sure there’s a way to do that. A group of people I tutor should be able to knock out a design quickly enough. Let’s aim for something that takes down, say, three people at once, or one tank.”

The room was silent. Kyungsoo didn’t notice, continuing on. He drew out a rough map of the grounds with his wand, sketching out lines of attack and defence.

“Whoever we don’t take out with the cannons, we’ll take out with a group of fairly strong people. By that point they’ll have a lot less people in the initial charge so since they’ll be weak and few, it shouldn’t be so much of a problem. By that time we’ll be sending out the stronger people. How many do you reckon there’ll be of those?”

“We’ve managed to get a few members of the duelling team on our side. We have the advantage there.” Minseok replied.

“That’s good to hear. So we’ll send out some of the duellers alongside whoever’s already out there to match the next wave. They can be disarming them, whatever else usually happens. Their good aim and evasion skills will be perfect for the job. Of course, we’re going to keep the cannons firing through all this, just to make sure we’re not overwhelmed.” He continued drawing out his diagram as the eleven others looked on, their attention fully held.

“So once that wave’s done, they’ll be sending out their really strong players. And that’s where we come in. We’ll be the oldest, we have the most experience, so if we keep the cannons firing and the duellers… duelling, we’ll have a shot at victory.”

Kyungsoo seemed to suddenly notice the silence in the room. “So… what do you think?”

Kris spoke up. “Sounds perfect.” Kyungsoo smiled, a mixture of satisfaction and modesty.

“I have a question,” Luhan said. “Who’ll be firing the cannons this whole time?”

“Anyone who isn’t good enough to actually go out onto the field.”

“Wow. Harsh.” Tao seemed impressed.

“What do you expect?” Kyungsoo grinned. “This is war, after all.”

***

Dinner was quiet. The twelve of them sat together, quietly going over the final details of their strategy.

“Are you sure we’ll have enough time to build everything?” Jongin asked, doubtful.

Chanyeol smiled reassuringly. “Oh, sure. That’s what magic is for.”

Jongin grinned and relaxed. “Right.”

Kyungsoo stood up abruptly. “I’ll go check on the designs for the cannons.” The group nodded and he wasn’t gone for long before he returned with a small group of Ravenclaw girls and some parchment.

“They think they’ll need to help with the building process.”

Most of the group smiled up at the younger students. Kris, Tao and Sehun retained an air of cool detachedness that was almost convincing.

The shortest of the group smiled brightly. “Hi, I’m Lee Soonkyu – most people call me Sunny. This is Choi Sooyoung, Seo Juhyun and Kwon Yuri. The designs are pretty complex so if you don’t mind, we’d like to come with you while you’re doing the walls and we’ll sort out the cannons.” The latter half of her statement took on a business-like, almost conspiratorial tone as she looked around the group with a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

“No problem. As long as you’re not planning some sort of elaborate sabotage,” smiled Chanyeol. He was only half-joking.

“We would never,” Seohyun swore with a solemn air.

“Alright. Well, if you’re ready, we may as well get started now,” Baekhyun suggested.

The group clambered to their feet, and they left the Great Hall together.

***

December 24

Jongin was the first to rise in the Hufflepuff dormitory the next morning, much to everyone’s shock. He was dressed and showered before most of them were even awake, and went round shaking them and saying “Get up, get up! It’s Christmas Eve! The snowball fight is today! Come on, wake up!”

When everybody was ready (and the shock of being woken up by Jongin of all people had passed) they headed downstairs to find the Slytherin trio already sitting eating breakfast together, talking excitedly and quietly amongst themselves.

“Morning!” Luhan smiled brightly at them. “Hope you’re not conspiring against us,”

Kris grinned. “What, just because we’re Slytherins we’re automatically the ones you have to watch out for? I see how it is.”

A laugh spread around the small group, and the Hufflepuffs went to sit at their own table to eat.

Next to arrive were Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Minseok. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were chattering loudly and eagerly about nothing in particular as usual, while Minseok slipped in a few mocking jokes here and there. They stopped by their teammates on the way to their table to check if everything was going according to plan and as soon as they were reassured, they sat down for breakfast at the Gryffindor table.

Strangely enough, the Ravenclaws were the last to arrive. Kyungsoo was wide awake, his eyes sparkling with excitement beneath his thick-framed glasses, and behind him trailed a groggy Jongdae. They paused when they reached the small group of Hufflepuffs.

“We’ve just been out to check the defences. Everything looks to be okay. It’s going to take a lot to get through those charms, and the cannons are working just like we planned.”

 “Great. I think we’ve got a real shot here,” Junmyeon replied.

Kyungsoo smiled. “So do I.”

***

“Attention, everybody!” A Fifth-Year student called out, his voice amplified over the small clusters of onlookers. “The Annual Unofficial Unendorsed Unsupported-By-Hogwarts Student-Organised Snowball Fight will begin in five minutes! Each side has assumed their positions, so I will go over the rules. If you get hit with a snowball, you are out of the game! A group of referees will monitor who has been hit and will take any hit players away from the main grounds. Due to last year’s incident, any foreign objects inside snowballs have been banned, and anybody caught disobeying this rule will be sent off. We’re trying to have fun here, not kill each other, okay? So, without further ado – starting on the North side of the grounds, we have Team Big Bang, and starting on the South side of the grounds, we have Team EXO. Big Bang, are you ready to begin?”

A loud shout could be heard from the other side.

“EXO, are you ready to begin?”

They responded by cheering loudly and shooting up flares from their wands.

“Then, without further ado, let the Annual Unofficial Unendorsed Unsupported-By-Hogwarts Student-Organised Snowball Fight begin!”

***

11:19 – This is madness. The fight has only just begun, and already many of our front line soldiers are lost. We underestimated the sheer number of Big Bang forces. I fear we will soon be overpowered.

11:23 – They have taken out one of our cannon operators. How? Their aim is spectacular.

11:27 – The duellers are keeping us afloat. But we will not last much longer.

11:31 – A small victory at last! Most of their strong players have been taken out. Jiyong is sending out many of his disposable units. He may have less on his side than he had let on at first.

11:38 – As I hear the shouts and yells around me of spells being cast and snow hitting skin, I sit in fear. It will not be long now until I must do my duty for my people.

“Jackson! What the are you doing in here? You signed up for this, get the hell out there and fight!”

“Yes! Right. Sorry, Kris.”

11:41 – Tell my family I love them.

***

“Chanyeol, we do not have time for a pep talk right now! It’s only the twelve of us and a few stragglers left, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Luhan, listen. I know thing seem bad right now, but the people we have left are loyal, dedicated, and – okay, basically, we could do a lot worse. I’m pretty sure we’ve taken out the majority of Big Bang’s forces. It’s down to us and the leaders of Big Bang now. And we have a real chance if we work together.”

“Okay, but we literally have been working together this whole time.”

“Shut up, Sehun. I’m trying to be motivational here.”

“Alright, sorry.”

“We just need one last push to win, alright? Kyungsoo, got any miracle plans up your sleeve?”

Kyungsoo sighed. “I can’t just whip a strategy out of my , Chanyeol.”

“Well, it was worth a try.” Chanyeol frowned. “Right, so let’s think. We’ve been doing pretty well on the defence, but they clearly don’t have many left since they’re not charging any more. So what if this time… we go to them?”

“That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”

“Do you have anything better, Baek? Does anyone?”

“We could always just… not do that.” Yixing piped up.

Chanyeol frowned. “And stay constantly on the defence? That’s not very exciting. Tell you what, why don’t we put it to a vote?”

“That’s very diplomatic of you,” Kris said, with an air of mocking surprise.

Chanyeol’s ears went slightly redder. “I try.”

***

The twelve of them emerged from the walls of their fort, before splitting off into two groups. They walked towards where Big Bang was situated, advancing quietly with their wands drawn and snowballs in their free hands. Chanyeol held up a hand and counted to three with his fingers.

“Now!”

They charged through the fort entrance to find the five leaders of the opposing side patiently waiting.

“So,” said Jiyong. “You tried the sneak attack.”

“You knew we were coming?” Sehun asked, dumbfounded.

“Of course we did, . You guys don’t exactly tread lightly.”

A short silence fell.

“So now what?” Yixing asked.

“I guess we go out and give the spectators a show.”

***

The twelve remaining people in EXO faced opposite the five remaining people in Big Bang. Leaders versus leaders. A fitting end to a bitter battle.

Daesung threw the first snowball, narrowly missing Yixing who had sidestepped out of the way. Then chaos erupted. Seventeen voices at once shouting different spells, sending snowballs whizzing through the air at impossible speeds and only just missing their targets.

“Yeol, watch out!” Baekhyun collided into Chanyeol, pushing him out of the way of a snowball coming from Seungri.

Luhan froze a snowball in mid-air, six inches from the back of Minseok’s head, before sending it flying in Seunghyun’s direction, just grazing his arm. One down, four to go.

“Sehun, look out -” Jongin shouted, and started towards him, but it was too late. The force of the snowball sent Sehun stumbling to the ground. “You son of a -” Jongin glared at Taeyang, and gathered up a large amount of snow into a ball with his wand and sent it hurtling at breakneck speed towards him. Another hit. But they were dropping like flies. Kris, Yixing, Jongdae, Junmyeon – all taken out as if it were nothing.

Daesung launched a snowball at Minseok, but it was quickly deflected away. Seungri hit Tao from behind while he was trying to take out Jiyong. Seungri sent a snowball towards Minseok, but Chanyeol jumped in and sent it in another direction. There were only three of Big Bang, and six of EXO – but even with this advantage, the opposing side seemed to be impossible to hit. They dodged and deflected everything that was sent in their direction, and managed to take out Jongin and Luhan in the process.

Jiyong hurled a snowball at Chanyeol, but a flick of his wand sent it in the wrong direction and it hit the ground with a thud. Seungri and Daesung took out Minseok and Kyungsoo within ten seconds of each other. Now it was three against two – things were looking grim.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol stood back to back, deflecting any snowballs that came their way. Nobody was going down – until Jiyong, who had lost his footing on a small patch of ice, let his guard down. Baekhyun reacted quickly, sending a snowball flying straight towards his face.

Jiyong seemed shocked. He wiped the snow from his face, and smiled grimly at the remaining two as he retreated towards the side-lines. But the loss of their leader only seemed to encourage them.

Then Chanyeol slipped. He hit the ground with a thud, and froze, momentarily winded. And their opponents did not hesitate to take advantage of the situation, launching a barrage of snowballs towards him. He braced for impact, screwing up his face and tensing his muscles, preparing to face his doom.

Nothing.

Nothing but the sound of snow hitting something very close to him, followed by a soft thud. Chanyeol opened his eyes to see Baekhyun sprawled on the ground in front of him, covered in snow. “Baek… what the f…”

He was interrupted by a low whisper. “Avenge me…”

Chanyeol gave a solemn nod in response.

He looked up to see Seungri and Daesung standing, their wands lowered slightly, shocked into stillness. Chanyeol had to act fast. He didn’t have time to stand up, and he knew if he tried he would only end up slipping again. Thinking quickly, spurred on by his best friend’s sacrifice, he sent a spray of snow towards his opponents, concentrating on directing the flakes to their intended targets.

The force of the snow sent the pair reeling, and Daesung fell to the ground from the impact. Chanyeol blinked. It had actually worked.

He had actually done it.

Victory was theirs.

Uproarious cheering could be heard as his teammates ran towards him, tackling him to the ground in a jumble of limbs. Chanyeol tried to wriggle out from under his teammates, but they had pinned him down completely. He was unable to do anything else but bask in his glory.

What a shame.

***

December 25

“Shoe lifts!? I can’t believe you got me shoe lifts! You son of a !”

Baekhyun was glaring at Chanyeol only half-mockingly, holding one comically-oversized shoe lift in each hand. Chanyeol grinned at him, the kind of crazy smile that only appeared when he was being a colossal . Minseok glanced between the two of them lazily. He would never stop being amused by their antics – even if he was often at the receiving end.

“What? I thought I was being very thoughtful. You could use a few inches.”

Minseok noticed Baekhyun freeze momentarily, his ears turning slightly pink at the innuendo. He chose not to comment. It was Christmas, after all. Chanyeol remained oblivious.

“You’re so- I’m so ing- piece of-” Baekhyun spluttered, before he threw a haphazardly-wrapped present at Chanyeol, who almost caught it before fumbling and watching it fall onto the floor.

“Oh, nice, Chanyeol. Great co-ordination. Have you considered trying out for Keeper?”

“Shut up, Minseok.” The taller boy muttered, before stretching down from the bed to pick up the parcel. He looked at it closely and shook it, before ripping the paper off violently.

“Hey, I spent like ten minutes trying to wrap that!” Baekhyun protested, throwing a wad of tape at him.

“Really? Ten minutes? It looked like it had been trampled by a Hippogriff,” Minseok grinned, but was interrupted by a guffaw from Chanyeol.

“Baek! You little !”

Minseok’s head flicked around to where Chanyeol sat cross-legged on his four-poster bed, holding a hardback book. “What’s that?”

Chanyeol held up the book for Minseok to see. The dark red dust jacket was emblazoned with the words “How to Avoid Being Punched in the Face by Someone Half Your Size – A Guide by Byun Baekhyun”. Minseok doubled over in laughter. He couldn’t believe that Baekhyun had gone to so much effort just for an insult. But at the same time, it wasn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination.

“Hey, wait a minute! This is like three hundred pages of blank paper!” Chanyeol protested, flipping through the pages. “Oh – hold on.” Something towards the middle of the book caught his attention, and he stopped, opening the book. “‘Stop being such an ’? Baek, I am going to -” He leapt off the bed and crossed the room in two steps and - before he had any time to react - pinned Baekhyun by his legs to the bed, holding his arms above his head. Baekhyun wriggled to try and escape, turning bright red, but Chanyeol wouldn’t relent. A couple of seconds passed.

“Uh… want me to give you two some privacy?” Minseok broke the silence with a smirk. Baekhyun somehow managed to look even more embarrassed. Chanyeol blinked, before laughing and releasing Baekhyun, opting to sit next to him instead. At least he had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. Minseok decided it would be best to change the subject. “So am I going to get any presents, or what?”

“Oh! Right! Yeah. Yeol and I decided that we would club together and get you something between us,” Baekhyun explained, reaching down to retrieve the present from beside his bed. He threw it towards Minseok.

Minseok carefully ripped open the package, and sitting neatly folded within the paper was a brand-new set of Quidditch robes. He blinked – he hadn’t been expecting anything so well thought-out. He looked up at the two earnestly grinning faces and smiled gratefully back at them. “Guys, you didn’t have to. No, seriously, you should have gotten me something stupid like you got for each other,”

“You’re welcome,” Chanyeol grumbled jokingly.

Minseok grinned. “Thanks, guys. Honestly.”

He looked at his old Quidditch robes, worn and grubby, slightly too tight for him. He hadn’t had new ones since Fifth year. Who knew that those two could be so thoughtful?

“Well. I’m starved. Can we eat now?”

“Get ready first, Baek.”

“Well alright, Mum.”

***

“Junmyeon, do you have to swing that thing so close to me?” Jongin watched as Luhan flinched away from yet another swipe of the brightly-coloured plastic.

“Your protests are futile! Justice will be swift and painful!”

“Put the lightsabre down, Junmyeon, it’s your turn to give out your present.” Jongin chimed in. It had been his fault after all – he knew how much Junmyeon was fascinated by Star Wars, but he had failed to consider the possible usage of the toy weapon as an instrument of assault and battery.

Junmyeon pouted. “Okay, fine. I picked Yixing to give a present to, as we all know because four is not enough for a Secret Santa and I told you this -”

“Shut up and give Yixing his present,” Luhan interrupted. Yixing sat on the edge of his bed, smiling up at Junmyeon expectantly.

“Alright, well, here you go,” Junmyeon smiled as he handed Yixing a small, neatly-wrapped gift.

“Thanks!” Yixing wasted no time in unwrapping his present, revealing the distinct box of a Remembrall. “Hey! Cool! I’ve always wanted one of these!”

“And needed one,” quipped Luhan.

“I want to see how it works, take it out of the box!” urged Jongin, practically bouncing off his bed towards the end of Yixing’s to get a closer look. Yixing obliged, opening the box and picking up the ball, which slowly faded to a deep red. He stared at it for a second.

“…Oh.”

“In other news, grass is green.” Jongin grinned.

“So what did you forget?” Junmyeon asked.

“Um… Luhan’s present.”

“Wait, what?” Luhan’s gaze moved from the Remembrall to Yixing’s face fast enough to give himself whiplash.

“I… forgot to get you something. I suppose it was always at the back of my mind, but – oh yeah, here. I remembered about it last night, so here you go!” Yixing held out a slightly creased piece of parchment, which Luhan took and examined.

Jongin scrambled to read over Luhan’s shoulder. Scribbled down on the parchment were the words,

Luhan,

I.O.U ONE CHRISTMAS PRESENT. Don’t let me forget! Sorry!

-Yixing

“I’m really sorry, Luhan. Honestly,” Yixing said pitifully.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. Don’t worry about it – you better get me the best present ever to make up for it though,”

Jongin had never seen Yixing brighten up so quickly. “I will! I promise!”

Luhan reached for the wrapped present sitting beside him. “I guess it’s my turn now. So, Jongin, here you go!”

“Thanks!” Jongin took the parcel enthusiastically and ripped open the paper. “A... pillow?”

“Not just any pillow! It’s magically enhanced to be the most comfortable pillow you will ever sleep on,” Luhan explained.

“Nice,” Jongin hugged the pillow to his chest. It was perfectly soft and fluffy - just the way he liked it. “Thanks, Luhan!”

“You do realise that now we’ll never be able to wake him up in the morning, right?” Junmyeon pointed out.

“Don’t be such a killjoy,” protested Jongin.

“Alright, Mr ‘Put-The-Lightsabre-Down’,” Junmyeon retorted with a grin.

“Hey, I’ve got the best pillow in the world here and I’m not afraid to use it,”

“Don’t you dare waste that pillow on Junmyeon!” Luhan interjected.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Luhan smiled innocently.

“I swear to God, you’re a bunch of children,” Junmyeon sighed despairingly.

“Says the one who got a toy for Christmas,” teased Yixing.

Jongin couldn’t help but smile wistfully at the scene before him. So this is what he had been missing out on for six years. This was his first and last Christmas at Hogwarts, and he honestly wouldn’t want to spend it with anybody else.

***

Sehun groaned as he was shaken awake. “What is it?”

“It’s Christmas!” So, it was Tao disturbing his sleep. That bastard.

“Great observation,” Sehun groaned, and buried his face back in his pillow.

“Noooo,” whined Tao, rolling him over. “You have to be merry!”

Sehun adopted the most forced smile he could muster. It was too early to be merry.

“The only reason you’re this excited is because you know we clubbed together to get you something this year and we didn’t care enough to justify you getting us something in return,” pointed out Kris, who sounded only marginally more awake than Sehun.

“I’m just full of the Christmas spirit,” Tao countered.

“You’re just full of , is what you are,” Sehun quipped, but he sat up anyway, bleary-eyed. It was honestly endearing how excited Tao was.

“Alright, well,” Kris said, grabbing a present from the trunk at the end of his four-poster bed. He held it out towards Tao. “Here you go. Merry Christmas,”

“Merry Christmas,” Sehun echoed.

“Thank you!” Tao smiled excitedly, before ripping open the present holding up its contents. It was a dark grey winter coat with a fancy label – Tao had been going on about it for months. He froze at first glance, then he gasped and his eyes went wider than Sehun had ever seen them. This reaction was almost worth the hefty price tag they had split between them.

“Tao, please, it’s not like you’re holding Jesus Christ himself aloft, it’s a coat.” Kris grinned.

“It’s perfect!” Tao whispered, as if his breath would cause it to disintegrate in front of his very eyes.

“Alright, well -” Sehun started to speak before he was interrupted by Tao crashing into him and squeezing him in the tightest hug he had ever experienced. “Wow. Chill.”

“Thank you Sehun!” Tao said, before relinquishing his vice-like grip and moving on to his next victim, Kris, who looked just as uncomfortable as Sehun had felt moments before. “Thank you Kris!”

“…No problem.”

Tao carefully folded up his coat and placed it in his trunk, handling it as one would a new-born baby. The smile on his face was infectious, and Sehun couldn’t help but feel slightly cheerier at the sight of the youngest so deliriously happy about a damn present.

As long as it shut him up for the rest of the day.

***

Jongdae was slightly disappointed at the size of the present in his lap. It was barely even a present. Just an envelope, with his name neatly printed on the front.

“There’s no need to look so happy about it,” Kyungsoo said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow beneath his glasses.

He grinned at Kyungsoo. “Sorry,”

“Just open it, idiot,”

“Right! Yeah.” Jongdae opened the envelope, revealing a smaller envelope, this time made of card. He looked up at Kyungsoo. “Are you serious?”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Flip it over,”

Jongdae did as instructed, and his mouth hung open slightly at the logo printed on the envelope. “Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes? Kyungsoo, you realise this can only end badly for you, right?”

Kyungsoo smiled as if he had already resigned himself to his fate. “Yes, I realise this.”

With that out of the way, Jongdae didn’t hesitate in opening the second envelope – and a small, brightly-coloured card fell onto his lap along with a similarly bright slip of parchment. Jongdae picked the parchment up and read it aloud.

“‘Dear mischief-maker, this card entitles you to five Galleons of store credit, which can be used in any Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes shop…’ Kyungsoo! This is great! Do you realise what I could get for five Galleons?”

“I don’t, and I’m not sure I want to know. Partly because it would ruin the surprise, and partly because honestly I’m terrified of what the answer might be.”

Jongdae laughed heartily. Kyungsoo was always great with presents – his tendency to step back and pay attention to someone’s actions seemed to give him a fairly accurate understanding of their personality, even without speaking directly to them very much. It was one of the things that Jongdae really admired about him.

“Anyway, where’s my present?” Jongdae snapped back to reality and reached into his trunk to hand Kyungsoo his gift. He watched as Kyungsoo felt it beneath the paper before tearing the package open. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the giant navy scarf that lay folded in the paper. “Jongdae, this thing has to be about as tall as me,”

“As if that’s difficult,” Jongdae couldn’t resist teasing him a little bit, before remembering that both of them lacked a little bit in that department.

“Shut up.” Kyungsoo held up the scarf. He was right. Even when he held it above his head, the other end of it trailed on the floor. “This is the longest scarf I have ever seen in my life. I love it.”

Jongdae smiled. He had actually managed to buy Kyungsoo a gift that wasn’t a complete joke. “Well, I know how much you hate the cold, so I thought you should have something to wrap yourself up in when it snows,”

Kyungsoo smiled at him, his eyes twinkling behind his thick frames. “Thank you, Jongdae. Honestly. It’s really thoughtful of you,”

Jongdae thought his smile couldn’t get any wider.

“Plus,” Kyungsoo added, “It’s perfect for smothering you with, because you never admitted something to me.”

Jongdae’s smile was quickly replaced with a frown. What had he done this time? He had cleaned the shower room, made sure his bed and the surrounding area was tidy, he hadn’t played any pranks that he hadn’t confessed to – so what was Kyungsoo talking about?

“Remember when you roped me into that snowball fight? And I told you I would force you to admit that you’re wrong, and you’re a piece of ?” Jongdae noticed the threatening glint of mischief in Kyungsoo’s eyes for the first time as he advanced towards him, brandishing the scarf in the most threatening way a boy of 5’6 could brandish a scarf. “Guess what you never did,”

“You can’t make me admit to anything!”

“Oh yes I can!” Kyungsoo sprung towards him wrapping him in the scarf faster than Jongdae could react. He was trapped, the scarf pinning his arms tightly to his sides. How the did that happen?

“Ye gods! Foiled again!” Jongdae sighed melodramatically.

“Say it,” Kyungsoo growled.

“I bow to no mortal man!”

The glint in Kyungsoo’s eyes darkened. He looked remarkably similar to the way he did in the moments before he punched Chanyeol in the face.

Uh oh.

“Fine! Fine! I was wrong!”

“And…?”

“And I’m a piece of ! I was wrong and I’m a piece of !”

“Good.” Kyungsoo unwrapped the scarf.

“Terrifying bastard.”

All traces of danger had disappeared from Kyungsoo’s face, replaced with a light-hearted smile.

“I try. Merry Christmas, Jongdae.”

“Merry Christmas, Kyungsoo.”